Tag attaching pin feed



April 18, 1967 c, PARKER 3,314,580

TAG ATTACHING PIN FEED Filed April 28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IHHHHl I INVENTOR. CHARLES A. PARKER AGENT April 18, 1967 c. A. PARKER 3,314,580

TAG ATTACHING PIN FEED Filed April 28, 1965 a Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 2

l INVENTQR.

CHARLES 4. PA RAER I t r BY AGE/VT April 18, 1967 c. A. PARKER 3,314,580

TAG ATTACHING PIN FEED Filed April 28, 1965 3 $heets hee-t 5 FIG. 7

M/l/ENTOR CHARLES A. PA RKER zen m AGENT United States Patent 3,314,580 TAG ATTACHING PIN FEED Charles A. Parker, East Orange, N.J., assignor to Kimball Systems, Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 451,511 16 Claims. (Cl. 227-136) This invention relates to machines for attaching tags to articles and more particularly to improvement for feeding pins, mounted within a paper strip, successively to a precise position for subsequent operation by the usual driver or ramrod means, operating in known manner for pinning a tag to an article placed at a suitable attaching station of the machine. The invention constitutes improvement over previously known pin feed devices, such as that disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,025,054, issued Mar. 13, 1962 to J. E. Clemens et al. wherein the usual pawl and ratchet clutch means serves to advance in positive and uniform steps of movement the usual friction rollers for feeding a tape of pins timed within a return stroke of the reciprocating ramrod operation for each machine cycle.

It frequently occurs however that the pins are not in proper uniformly spaced condition along the tape strip, with the result that such uniform steps in a positive type of feed will at times be insuflicient for the required extent of movement of the tape to complete the advance of a pin to the described position. Also, in a succeeding operation the feed means will now overadvance the tape beyond the full step required to correctly position a pin for ramrod operation. Since the pin is limited in movement against a fixed stop, in line with the ramrod, the paper under such condition is frequently either completely severed or is torn by the pin. When tearing takes place at the pinhole a pin becomes skewed at an angle out of proper alignment with the ramrod and a consequent jamming often occurs in the pinning operation. Also, at times one or more adjacent pins may be missing from the strip. Under such condition the earlier known devices would require a number of machine cycles of operation in order to advance the strip sufficiently to bring the subsequent pin to active position. Since for each such cycle a different tag is advanced each time to the attaching station certain of said tags under the above circumstances are inadvertently not pinned to an article.

Again, in the earlier known devices that portion of a machine cycle allocated to an operation of the usual pawl and ratchet feed for the pin strip of necessity limits the time in a cycle available to the pin ramrod operations.

It is most desirable that a sufiicient time in the cycle be provided for the ramrod to be restored completely clear of any pin being advanced by the strip feed. This is particularly so in order to avoid engagement of the enlarged head portion of a pin with a side of the ramrod, which would cause a skewing of the pin at an angle out of its proper aligned condition and thereby enlarge the pin holein the paper sufficiently so that the next succeeding pin is caused to be advanced slightly out of normal spaced relation to the ramrod station. This at times causes the ramrod in driving one pin to also catch the head of an adjacent pin with a consequent jamming of the pins.

Attempts have been made to mitigate the above-undesirable conditions by adjusting a tension of the friction rollers upon the tape and in the use of smooth or various knurled surfaces for the rollers, such attempts however have not proved to be entirely satisfactory. It has been found that where smooth surfaces are used any slippage of the rollers upon the tape effects a surface change in the tape so that friction of the rollers therewith varies and an extent of feed is not always uniform. On the other hand Where knurled surface rollers are used the tape often becomes frayed when the roller is forced to slip thereon, under the conditions of feed above enumerated.

An object of the present invention therefore is to provide improved pin feed means adapted for yieldably advancing a pin strip in a manner to avoid. tearing thereof.

Another object is to provide auxiliary power means adapted for extending a pin feed operation beyond a regular machine cycle operation and thereby increase the cyclic time available for ramrod movement in a tag pinning operation.

Another object of the invention provides for power storage means energized during a machine cycle and capable thereafter of advancing to active condition pins spaced upon a tape at irregular distances, including blank spaces where any pins are inadvertently omitted.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the pin feed and ramrod devices in enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a detail left-side elevation of the pin feed devices and power belt drive therefor.

FIG. 4 is a detail plan view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the friction drive means taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a detail cross-section of the friction drive means as taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective of the friction drive unit.

Means for tag pinning an article, placed at a suitable, attaching station, by driving a pin with suitable driver or} ramrod means so as to pin the tag and article together are of course well known and being more specifically described in the above US. Patent No. 3,025,054, to which reference is made for details of construction and operation of parts not deemed necessary of detailed description herein.

In general, a power shaft 1 (FIG. 3) is operated by an electric motor for rotation through a single cycle clutch means released by a suitable manual control button 58 (FIG. 1), as in the manner of said patent. During each cycle of operation a pin driver or ramrod 2 is reciprocated once rightwardly (FIG. 2) and returned along a suitable guide channel 3, in the operation of a pivoted lever 4 by said clutch means, ,as in similar manner to a corresponding lever 294 and driver 232 of the reference patent.

In the instant case, however, in lieu of the usual pawl and ratchet means of the patent for advancing successive pins to a specific position to be operated by the driver or ramrod, the following novel means are herein provided.

Mounted for rotation within the bifurcated end 5-5 (FIGS. 3 and 5) of a bracket 6 secured to the machine framing 7 is a stub shaft 8. Upon said shaft is keyed a pulley wheel 9 having drive belt connection 10 with a pulley wheel 11 fast to the power shaft 1, operated in continuous manner whenever the machine is cycled incident to an operation of the usual starting button 58 (FIG. 1).

Nested between the bifurcated arms 55' of bracket 6 and being mounted upon the shaft 8 for clockwise rotation therewith (FIG. 2) is a friction drive unit, designated by the numeral 12 of the drawings, and being adapted for advancing the pin strip in novel manner and purpose to be hereinafter described.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the friction drive unit 12 comprises the following members which are assembled upon shaft 8 as said shaft is inserted upwardly between the bifurcated arms 5-5 (FIG. 5). First in order on said shaft and engaging the lower arm 5 is a disc 13 having next adjacent thereto a second disc 14- of smaller diameter to the disc 13. Next on said shaft is an assembly of parts comprising a sleeve 15 provided with a shouldered upper portion 15 and a ring groove 16 near the lower end of said sleeve. A horseshoe type retainer ring 17 inserted in said groove supports on the sleeve a wafer ring 18 engaging the bottom turn of a coil spring 19 inserted upon said sleeve. Coil spring 19 is wound for correct inside diameter so that certain of the upper coils thereof provide friction mounting of the spring upon shouldered portion 15' of the sleeve 15, with the remaining lower turns of the spring thus being marginally spaced in encircling the smaller diameter shank portion of the sleeve.

The above-described assembly is placed uopn shaft 8 in a manner so that a set screw 20 in said sleeve engages a suitably milled flat portion 8 of shaft 8 to form driving connection therewith. A cylinder 21 has a knurled outer surface of a diameter slightly smaller to that of disc 13 and an inside bore of a size for mounting around the guide disc 14, which serves as a locator therefor when placed upon the disc 13. Nested within cylinder 21 for fritcional engagement with the inside wall thereof is a coiled spring 22 having a looped end 22 of the inner coil thereof as mounted engaging with an upturned end 19' of the coiled spring 19 above described. Suitable split spacing collars 23 placed one above and one below spring 22 within cylinder 21 serve to maintain said spring in a central position of the cylinder. Upper discs 14' and 13' in order, similar to the lower discs 14 and 13, complete the assembly, with the upper end of shaft 8 being now bearinged within the arm 5 as shown in FIG. 5.

As indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 4 the friction drive unit 12 is adapted for clockwise operation by 'g the power belt and for this purpose it will be noted with reference to FIG. 6 that spring means 22 is wound in a clockwise direction for providing yieldable friction drive to cylinder 21, while spring 19 is wound in a clockwise direction to grip the shoulder of sleeve 15, with the parts intended to function as in the manner now to be described relative to a general operation of the machine.

Assuming that a suitable hopper 25 (FIG. 1) has been loaded with proper tags T to be attached to particular articles placed by an operator at the attaching station 26. Also that a paper strip of pins 27 from a roll carried by a suitable spindle projecting from the hopper is fed forwardly between suitable guides 28, 29 having flanges 30, 31 which overlie the heads and points of the pins respectively, all in manner fully set forth in the above patent of reference. As the pin strip advances said guide means acting in known manner thereon will cause the strip to fold along a center crease, so that the edges of the strip pass under the guide means while the pins move along the upper side of the guide means. The right side guide member 28 is fixed and is provided with a groove for receiving the pointed end of the pins while the left side guide member 29 includes a groove for receiving the headed ends of the pins and is herein adapted for a lateral displacement in the manner and purpose to be described.

The lead end of the paper strip having been inserted within the above guide means until a pin is brought against stop shoulders 32 thereof, in alignment with the ramrod 2 and guide passage 33, is then extended to pass around the knurled cylinder 21 of the friction drive unit 12. A roller 34 mounted upon a spring tensioned arm 35 pivoted at 36 to the framing serving to maintain the pin tape in driving engagement with said knurled cylinder. Rotation of cylinder 21 in the manual operation of the tape being permitted by virtue of frictional release of helical spring 19, as wound clockwise upon the sleeve member 15.

Upon each machine cycle of operation incident to an operation of the starting button 58 the ramrod 2 is reciproca-ted rightwardly and returned, as earlier set forth, for driving a pin through passage 33, the pin thereupon being driven through the tag and article at the attaching station. As will now be described, during each cycle of the machine the paper strip is fed intermittently by the novel means herein a sufficient distance to move a subsequent pin into alignment with the ramrod 2 regardless of variations that might occur in a spacing of the pins upon the tape, or where some pins may have inadvertently been omitted or fallen out of the tape strip.

It is recalled that left side guide member 29 is adapted for lateral displacement and for this reason said guide is fast with a leftwardly extending rod 37 bearinged within the support frames 38, 39 (FIG. 2). A spring 40 secured at one end to a stud 41 in rod 37 and the other end thereof being fast to the machine framing urges said rod and guide 29 rightwardly (FIG. 2). In the normal position of rest however lever 4 engaging a stud 42 in rod 37 acts to hold guide 29.1eftwardly. Immediately upon the start of a forward stroke of said lever and ram rod 2, rod 37 is released for rightward movement of spring 40 and so exerts rightward force to the guide member 29. Thus the pin strip is now clamped tightly between said guide and the guide member 28, thereby helping to maintain the active pin in proper aligned condition for a subsequent driving operation by ramrod 2.

During the above movement of ramrod 2 the belt 10 also being in operation will impart 'a clockwise rotation to the shaft 8 and thus also to sleeve 15 of the friction drive unit 12. It will be recalled that the upper coils of spring 19 are wound upon shoulder 15 for clockwise frictional rotation with sleeve 15 and that the lower coils are free of sleeve 15, while the bot-tom coil has connection with the coil spring 22 in frictional engagement with cylin'der 21. Thus in an initial clockwise operation of sleeve 15 the upper portion of spring 19 is immediately rotated, with power as'transmitted therefrom to the spring 22 be ing now cushioned while the spring 19 continues to build up a reserve power of stored energy. It being noted that at this time any pin at the ramrod station prevents movement of the tape thereby holding cylinder 21 and spring 22 against rotation. After a sufficient reserve power is built up in spring 19 the friction spring 22 is caused to slip along the inner wall of the knurled cylinder '21 while providing a frictional drive force to said cylinder of a limited magnitude to avoid any mutilation of the tape.

During the continued forward stroke operation of lever 4 ramrod 2 engaging the head of the active pin drives said pin rightwardly and through guide passage 33 to the tag attaching station. In the return stroke of the parts guide 29 will now continue to hold the pin strip against movement until after ramrod 2 has been completely withdrawn leftwardly of the pins. Thereafter lever 4 re-engaging stud 42 near the end of its return movement now releases guide 29 thereby permitting operation of the pin tape, and spring 19 by virtue of the energy previously stored therein now imparts continued clockwise rotation to cylinder 21 beyond a machine cycle for advancing the pin tape, until stopped by the engagement of a succeeding pin with the stop shoulder 32-, in aligned condition for a subsequent operation by ramrod 2 incident to any continued machine operations.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that I have provided a relatively simple and very effective mechanism for accomplishing the objects of this invention.

It is to be understood that I am not limited to the specific construction shown and described herein, as various modifications can be made therein within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for feeding successive pins stored withinatape strip to a fixed stop point: the combination comprising feed means including a rotatable cylinder operable yieldably in a cyclic machine operation to advance said tape strip;

means for rotating said cylinder including a spiral spring nested therein having yieldable frictional engagement therewith;

a helical spring nested within said spiral spring and at one end connected to a terminal turn thereof; drive means in frictional engagement with an opposite end of the helical spring for rotating said helical spring during a machine operation to provide stored energy therein while cushioning starting rotation of said cylinder for yieldably advancing the tape in moving a pin to said fixed stop point. 2. The invention according to claim 1; said spiral spring wound in a given direction to provide yieldable friction drive to said cylinder in the direction of tape feed; and

said helical spring wound on said drive means in related direction to said spiral spring, whereby to permit operation of said cylinder in the feed direction by said tape in entering an initial lead portion thereof.

3. The invention according to claim 2 and including a ramrod for displacing any pin at said stop point in a lateral direction to the direction of tape feed;

operating means for reciprocating said ramrod during a machine cycle;

clamp means for the tape including a movable jaw biased toward the tape; and

in which said operating means in a normal condition of rest holds said clamp means in open condition and upon an initial movement thereof prior to engagement of said ramrod with a pin will release said clamp to seize and hold the tape thereby maintaining alignment of a pin with the ramrod.

4. The invention according to claim 3; and

wherein said clamp acts to hold the pin tape against feed operations thereof by said cylinder until after the ramrod is returned clear of the feed path for the pins, the said clamp thereafter being released by said operating means;

and wherein the stored energy within said helical spring enables rotation of the cylinder beyond a machine cycle ope-ration thereof, thereby providing increased tape movement for bringing a succeeding pin to said fixed stop point should missing pin gaps occur in the tape.

5. In an apparatus of the class described for advancing pins stored within a tape strip: the combination comprismg feed means for said tape strip including a cylindrical member engageable therewith for advancing pins seriatim to a given station;

a spiral spring coiled within said cylinder for yieldable friction drive engagement therewith;

a drive shaft extending within said spring;

means connecting said shaft to an end of said spiral spring for rotating said spring therewith in manner to provide for cushioning an initial operation of said cylinder by said spring in rotating said cylinder for advancing said tape strip and to collapse said spring for yielding said operation of said cylinder whenever the tape strip is held from advancing.

6. The invention according to claim 5; said connecting means including a helical spring having one end in positive connection with said coiled spring and the opposite end thereof having friction drive connection with said shaft.

7. The invention according to claim 6 and said helical spring as mounted on said shaft wound in a direction to provide for operation of said coil spring.

8. The invention according to claim 7 and wherein said helical spring includes a portion thereof in frictional engagement with said drive shaft and a portion thereof free of frictional engagement with said drive shaft, said free portion having positive engagement with said coil spring.

9. The invention according to claim 7 and including a removable sleeve having a shouldered portion frictionally mounting said helical spring thereon and a shank portion of lesser diameter to said helical spring, said sleeve supported on said shaft for operation therewith.

10. The invention according to claim 9 including a pair of discs of larger diameter to said cylinder, said discs loosely mounted on said shaft and serving as casing means for the ends of said cylinder and as guide means for holding the tape thereon.

11. The invention according to claim 10 and a pair of discs loosely mounted on said shaft within said cylinder, being adjacent said casing discs and adapted to maintain said cylinder for rotation upon said shaft.

12. The invention according to claim 11 and including locating rings within said cylinder for maintaining said spiral spring in a given axial position within said cylinder.

13. The invention according to claim 12 and a sup port member having bifurcated arms serving as bearing means for said shaft and for holding the parts in assembled condition thereon.

14. In a machine for feeding successive pins carried by a tape strip to a fixed limit stop: the combination comprising tape feed means for advancing pins randomly spaced along said tape strip to said fixed stop; including an operating member providing yieldable operation of said tape feed means in the same given direction as the tape feed;

drive means for advancing said operating member in said given direction; and

said drive means icnluding means yieldable to operations of said tape feed means in the direction to tape feed.

15. In a machine for feeding successive pins carried by a tape strip: the combination comprising tape feed means for advancing pins spaced at random along said tape strip into engagement with a fixed stop;

friction means providing yieldable operation of said tape feed means in the direction of tape feed;

drive means for operating said friction means in the direction of tape feed;

friction means connecting said drive means with the first said friction means; and wherein the latter said friction means is yieldable relative to said drive means in an operation of the tape feed means in the tape feed direction independent of operation of said drive means.

16. In a machine for feeding successive pins carried by a tape strip to a limit stop: the combination comprising tape feed means including a cylindrical member opera- -able for advancing the tape strip in a manner for bringing pins randomly spaced along said tape to said fixed stop;

operating means for effecting yieldable operation of said cylindrical member in the direction of tape feed;

drive means for advancing said operating means in said direction of tape feed; and

said drive means including means yieldable to an independent operation of said cylindrical member in the direction of tape feed.

No references cited.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, 11"., Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,314,580 April 18, 1967 Charles A. Parker It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the heading to the printed specification, lines 3 to 5, for "ass gnor to Kimball Systems, Inc., Farmingdale, N. Y. a corporation of New York" read assignor to Kimball Systems,

Inc., a corporation of Delaware Signed and sealed this 28th day of November 1967.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR FEEDING SUCCESSIVE PINS STORED WITHIN A TAPE STRIP TO A FIXED STOP POINT: THE COMBINATION COMPRISING FEED MEANS INCLUDING A ROTATABLE CYLINDER OPERABLE YIELDABLY IN A CYCLIC MACHINE OPERATION TO ADVANCE SAID TAPE STRIP; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER INCLUDING A SPIRAL SPRING NESTED THEREIN HAVING YIELDABLE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; A HELICAL SPRING NESTED WITHIN SAID SPIRAL SPRING AND AT ONE END CONNECTED TO A TERMINAL TURN THEREOF; DRIVE MEANS IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH AN OPPOSITE END OF THE HELICAL SPRING FOR ROTATING SAID HELICAL SPRING DURING A MACHINE OPERATION TO PROVIDE STORED ENERGY THEREIN WHILE CUSHIONING STARTING ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER FOR YIELDABLY ADVANCING THE TAPE IN MOVING A PIN TO SAID FIXED STOP POINT. 